This Week at St. Mary's-in-Tuxedo
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Thursday, April 5
11 am - Preschool Chapel for 2's
11:30 am - Soup & Sandwich Luncheon and Day by Day Reflection
Sunday, April 8 - The Second Sunday of Easter
8 am - Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
9:50 am - Infant/childcare available; Sunday School starts
10 am - Holy Eucharist in the Church with choir and organ
Food and fellowship follows in Bentley Hall
Tuesday, April 10
2 to 6 pm - Sloatsburg Food Pantry is open
Wednesday, April 11 - William Law, Priest, 1761
10 am - Holy Eucharist in the Chapel
11 am - Preschool Chapel for the 3's and 4's
Thursday, April 12 - Zeno of Verona, Bishop and Confessor, 371
11 am - Preschool Chapel for 2's
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Greetings in the name of our risen Lord!
The Easter season is upon us, and for the great fifty days, our focus will be on the resurrected Jesus Christ. However, we should not forget that although the themes of the Church year change, each and every Sunday can be thought of as a "little Easter." Each time we gather for the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the cup, we proclaim the Lord's resurrection.
At St. Mary’s, one of the first things one sees and hears before a Sunday service begins is the ringing of the tower bell. It happens so frequently that sometimes you might not notice. Today, church bells are considered to be a luxurious add-on, even a relic of past times. To me, though, a church bell is a necessity. It is the "voice" of our church family that calls out to all who can hear it, "Alleluia! Alleluia! The Lord is risen indeed, Alleluia!" Our bell has continued to be, for over 125 years, our most public proclamation that we are a people of the Resurrection.
Here is what the mystic Trappist monk, Thomas Merton, had to say about the importance of church bells:
Bells are meant to remind us that God alone is good, that we belong to Him, that we are not living for this world. They break in upon our cares in order to remind us that all things pass away and that our preoccupations are not important. They speak to us of our freedom, which responsibilities and transient cares make us forget.
They are the voice of our alliance with the God of heaven. They call us to peace with Him within ourselves...The bells say: we have spoken for centuries from the towers of great churches. We have spoken to the saints your fathers, in their land. We called them, as we call you, to sanctity.
What is the word with which we called them? We did not merely say, "Be good, come to church." We did not merely say "Keep the commandments" but above all, "CHRIST IS RISEN. CHRIST IS RISEN!" And we said: "Come with us. God is good. Salvation is not hard. His love has made it easy!"
May the joy of Easter ring out in your hearts throughout the year,
Father Rick
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The joy of Easter Sunday arrived with a large congregation eager to hear the good news of the resurrection! Beautiful flowers and music filled the church, including a fine brass ensemble and a rousing
offertory anthem
by the choir. The children of the Sunday School participated in
every aspect of the mass
, serving as acolytes, readers and ushers. A festive coffee hour and Easter egg hunt followed in Bentley Hall. Please visit our Facebook page for
more photos
of the service. Many thanks to everyone who helped make the day possible -- some behind the scenes photos may be found
online
.
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The current
Book of Common Prayer
is the first to include liturgies for Holy Week. Some are left open to interpretation, but others, like Good Friday, are more prescribed. This Good Friday, we enacted the ancient liturgy for that day, hearing the Passion according to St. John as well as the Solemn Collects, sung to tones used only on Good Friday. Finally, we solemnly venerated the cross and received Holy Communion from the Sacrament consecrated the night before. Many thanks to parishioner Bill Steinmann for crafting the simple yet elegant cross that we will use for years to come in venerating the symbol of our Lord’s death and of eternal life in Him.
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The Maundy Thursday service begins much like any Mass, with the addition of several important devotions at the end. In it we feel the mixed emotions of joy at the institution of the Holy Eucharist and the Priesthood, and sorrow, as our Lord weeps in the garden on the night before his death. After all have received communion, the traditional stripping of the altar takes place, in which the altar is symbolically prepared to represent the tomb of Christ. Additionally, we introduced an ancient custom at St. Mary’s, trhe watch before the Altar of Repose, symbolizing time spent with our Lord in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane. The whole congregation, together with the choir and clergy, processed by candlelight to the chapel, where the Blessed Sacrament was placed on the altar surrounded by candles and flowers while the choir sang the haunting hymn, “Go to Dark Gethsemane
." The faithful prayed with our Lord into the night as well as the following morning, and those who participated found it to be quite spiritually nourishing.
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Thank you to everyone who gave so generously at Easter for the beautiful flowers and music that filled the church. Please see the end of the
Easter Sunday bulletin
for a full list of the gifts given in memory or thanksgiving of loved ones.
At St. Mary's, we are blessed to be the stewards of many centuries' worth of sacred art, from paintings, to sculptures, to unusual items like a hand-wrought paschal candle stand which comes in at just over 7 feet tall! Coveted for decades by the cathedral, it has languished for many years at the back of the church and has no doubt been the cause of many a stubbed toe. It features intricate scroll work and is supported by three rearing dragons--talk about drama!
When Fr. Rick saw this relic, he knew that it had to be restored to a place of prominence in the church. So, this Easter, it was hoisted up into position by two men, where it was thoroughly cleaned and made ready for the new Easter candle. The candle itself was hand crafted in Vermont, and is 5 feet tall, and weighs more than 40 lbs. It took three men, a ladder, a hole saw, a hammer and chisel, and two clothespins to get it in place, but how majestic it is! The paschal candle represents the physical presence of the resurrected Jesus on earth, therefore it will burn continuously throughout the Easter season until Ascension, when it will disappear from sight.
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Did you miss Father Rick’s
sermon on Easter Sunday
? Well, it was a real barn-burner and even involved congregational responses! Now, with our new website, you can listen to all of Father Rick’s sermons on demand -- you can even subscribe to our sermons via iTunes or Google Play. Please check out this new feature at
www.stmtux.org/sermons
.
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Tuxedo Park School Benefit
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All members of the community are cordially invited to Tuxedo Park School’s annual Benefit on April 28. It promises to be a fun event with exciting live and silent auction items such as hosting a private dinner party at Dottie Audrey’s, beautiful paper goods from local artist Elizabeth Grubaugh and much, much more! To learn more about attending or donating items to the auction, please contact
Fiona Duffy
.
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Have you returned your Lenten Mite box? If not, please bring it with you to church on Sunday or turn it in at the office by April 20. The change will be counted, deposited, and a check will be written for the amount given and presented on behalf of St. Mary’s at the April 22 Habitat for Humanity walk in Newburgh.
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All are truly welcome at St. Mary's, which is located within the historic gates of Tuxedo Park and serves the entire Tuxedo community. Please tell the gatehouse you're going to St. Mary's, proceed thru the gates and we're on the right (plenty of parking available).
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How to contact us...
Office: 845.351.5122
PreSchool: 845.351.2389
Physical Address: 10 Fox Hill Rd, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 637, Tuxedo Park, NY 10987
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